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How an artist's career resembles a Netflix series

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How an artist's career resembles a Netflix series

An easy to apply storytelling approach

Carlo Kiksen
Feb 28
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Share this post

How an artist's career resembles a Netflix series

thefanbasebuilder.substack.com

If you are not a subscriber of The Fanbase Builder, join the dozens of artists, creators and music industry executives who receive it for free.

Let’s dive into today’s topic:


Storytelling: How an artist's career resembles a Netflix series

Storytelling is more than just another branding buzzword. Here's an easy method to apply storytelling to an artist's career.

Why it matters

Storytelling is a crucial part of an artist's career. It can be used to create a sense of community and engage with fans on a deeper level. It is a powerful method that can help an artist share their journey and create a lasting legacy.

How it works

A few years ago, I read a great quote about storytelling. Unfortunately, I can't remember exactly who said it. I think it was an interview in MBW's World's Greatest Managers series, but I can't find the source anymore.

In the interview, it was said that an artist's career resembles a television series. I often use this comparison to explore storytelling.

  • Every artist's career is unique, like a Netflix series with its unique plot, characters, and lore. It tells a story around a central theme, and the artist's journey of exploring it, filled with its ups and downs, successes and failures.

  • Every season presents a new challenge or opportunity with a season finale that can bring closure or promise a new beginning.

  • Each episode can build on the previous one to create a cohesive story arc, while still allowing for individual moments of exploration and discovery.

Basic example: An artist (series) kicks off an album cycle (season 2) with the release of a new single (season 2, episode 1). The album cycle concludes with a massive festival headlining slot (season finale).

Created with Midjourney using the prompt ‘a large festival crowd looking at a television screen on stage’ (and some additional parameters)

Yes, but..

This is an extremely basic storytelling approach; I know! However, most of the time, branding is about defining the basic elements of a story to get it to spread.

Take action now

  • Take your next release in mind. A release can be all sorts of things: Music, merch, a newsletter, a presentation you have to do at work, etc.

  • Consider this a new episode in the current season of your personal Netflix series.

  • What season are you in? What happens in this season’s finale?

Further reading

  • Pipdeck Storyteller Tactics (scroll down for 54 free-to-use storytelling frameworks)

  • Pixar’s 22 rules of storytelling

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